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Adaine was working up the courage to tell her friends something.
It wasn't that big of a deal, right? It shouldn't be. The Bad Kids, her party, her best friends in the whole wide world, they'd understand, right?
No. They probably wouldn't. And Adaine knew why, but she couldn't very well keep it hidden.
Adaine Abernant was about to tell her friends about her new boyfriend…her new boyfriend who had tried very hard to kill her and her friends not even a year prior. Yeah, Adaine fully expected everyone to be mad. Maybe not mad, but at least disappointed. She'd asked everyone to come over for movie night and planned to break the news when everyone was all buttered up.
The time ticked closer and closer, and Adaine was pacing about her room reciting the script she'd made up.
"Hey, guys, I have something I want to tell you… no, that's way too serious. Guys, can I tell you something? Ok, less intense…" she muttered to herself.
She was taken out of her contemplation by a knock on her bedroom door. It was Jawbone.
"Hey, Adaine, the rest of the kids are here for movie night," he said. Then, he paused. "Are you alright?" he asked.
Damn, caught, Adaine thought. I guess there's a reason he's the guidance counselor.
"Yeah, just feeling a little nervous today, don't worry," she said. She hadn't told Jawbone she was dating Oisín either. Adoptive fathers were just as hard to impress as biological ones when it came to dating.
Jawbone nodded, squinting his eyes at her in suspicion. "Alright, kiddo. You need a minute? I can tell them you're in the shower or something," Jawbone asked.
"No, no, I'm alright. I'll be down in a second," Adaine replied.
"Okay, I trust you. See you in a minute," Jawbone said. He always said that, I trust you. Adaine's parents never trusted her, so it felt good to have an adult trust her about the way she was feeling.
Adaine gave Jawbone a thumbs up as he shut the door. She shut her eyes and took a deep breath. You’ve got this. Your friends love you, they have killed people for you, she told herself. Adaine opened her eyes, opened her bedroom door, and walked down the stairs.
Her friends were all standing at the bottom of the stairs, mingling amongst themselves.
Fig looked up from her crystal and her face lit up. “Adaine!” she said. She hurried up the stairs to meet Adaine halfway and give her a hug.
“I saw you yesterday, Fig,” Adaine said.
“I know, but I missed you!” Fig said.
Adaine smiled and waved to the rest of her party, who were starting to make their way into the living room to huddle up for movie night. Once Fig let her go, Adaine walked downstairs with her and stood in front of her friends. Riz looked up at her and raised an eyebrow.
“So, guys. I have something to tell you—it’s not bad! But it’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you for a couple weeks now,” Adaine said. Okay, good start, she thought. Everyone else was looking at her now, and she couldn’t see him, but Jawbone was standing behind her in the doorway to the living room.
“What’s up?” Kristen asked.
“I’m getting there. So, as you guys know, I’ve never been super into dating—” she was interrupted by Fabian.
“Ah-daine.” Fabian really stressed the syllables of her name. “Is this going where I think it’s going?”
“Maybe, just, just let me finish. Okay, so I’m not really into dating, right? Well, for the past few weeks, I’ve been officially seeing somebody,” Adaine said.
“And who might this ‘somebody’ be?” Kristen asked.
Adaine looked nervously at her friends. She knew she had to tell them and she couldn’t avoid it now that they were all together. “It’s, um…he’s…his name is…” she trailed off. Nobody else spoke, they waited for her to get on with it.
“Oisín. Hakinvar. You all know who he is,” she blurted.
The faces of her friends went from interested to a mixture of disdain, shock, and confusion. “I know. I know, alright? Trust me, I know,” she said.
“Adaine, you are aware that—” Fabian tried to say something along the lines of you know he tried to kill us last year, right? but Adaine was not having it.
“I didn’t ask for your opinions, okay? I just…needed to tell you guys,” she said.
“Alright, alright. I’m sorry,” Fabian said.
Suspiciously, Riz had not said anything. He did, however, turn to Fig and whisper something in her ear. Fig nodded.
“Alright, Adaine. We support you. But with one condition,” Fig said.
“Oh my…alright. What is it?” Adaine said. It wasn’t like they could stop her from dating Oisín, but she knew that they’d be a pain in the ass about it.
“We’re going to give him the shovel talk.” Fig gestured to Riz, who stood up.
“Basically, we’re going to threaten him. If he fucks with you, if he hurts you, if I get any sniff of any funny business? He’s fucking done for,” Riz said.
Adaine believed him. Riz had eaten dragon before and he wouldn’t be afraid to do it again. She didn’t want to let her friends essentially gang up on her new boyfriend, but she also didn’t want them to be huge pains about it for the rest of her life.
Adaine sighed. “Alright, have your fun. But be sensible, you know what’s too far,” she said, mostly looking at Riz and Fig.
“We know, we won’t actually touch him. Just gonna give him something to think about is all,” Fig said.
Adaine was immediately regretting allowing this to happen, but there wasn’t much she could do about it now that she’d said yes.
Fabian arrived to school with his head on a swivel. His eye was hunting Oisín and it wouldn’t stop until he found the scaly bastard. Their classes were on totally opposite sides of the school, but Fabian wasn’t against being late for the sake of a friend.
Fabian found Oisín at his locker. Adaine wasn’t there yet. Perfect.
“Hey, Oisín,” Fabian called.
Oisín looked over at him, an expression of confusion and a hint of fear on his face.
“Buddy ol’ pal, take a walk with me, would you?” Fabian didn’t give him a choice. Oisín was tall, sure, but Fabian knew he wouldn’t cause a scene by fighting back. Besides, even a buff Wizard is still a Wizard. Fabian put an arm around Oisín’s shoulder and led him away from his locker.
Fabian walked Oisín toward an emptier bit of the hallway, took his hand off of Oisín’s shoulder, and looked around him. Fabian beckoned Oisín closer, he spoke directly beside Oisín’s ear.
“Listen here,” Fabian said, his voice low and threatening. “You might have Adaine fooled, but know that neither I nor any of my friends will ever trust you. You know what you did, you don’t need me to tell you, so let me be very clear about what’s going to happen if you fuck with Adaine in any way.” Fabian looked around them again, making sure the coast was clear before he started describing how he would murder this guy if he ever fucked with his friend.
“I swear to all things holy, Oisín Hakinvar, I will rip you limb from fucking limb. There will be nothing but dust and blood left by the time I’m finished with you. I will take this sword,” Fabian unsheathed Fandrangor. “And I will fucking gut you. I don’t care what happens to me, if you so much as give me a hint that you might have done anything to Adaine or if you give me any reason to believe that you might go bad again? It will be your last day on this plane of existence. Then, I will find you in the fucking afterlife and kill you there. Have I made myself clear?”
Oisín nodded. He was, for all the bravado he put on, fucking terrified of Fabian. Of all the Bad Kids, to be honest, and especially of Gorgug. He’d seen how they fought for each other, and he did not want to be on the wrong side of their wrath ever again.
Fabian smiled wide. “Good. Now, go find Adaine and don’t even think about mentioning this to her. You hear me?” Fabian asked.
Oisín nodded again. “Yes,” he said.
“Even better. Get along, now,” Fabian said.
Oisín, with a thousand yard stare and another good reason to keep his girlfriend happy, went off to class. That was fucked up, he thought.
On his way to his first class of the day, he saw Riz. Oisín had heard some rather…unsavory rumors about Riz’s eating habits, so he tried to interact with him as little as possible. To Oisín’s great dismay, it seemed that Riz wanted to talk to him.
“Hey, Oisín!” Riz said.
Oisín wished he could just ignore Riz, but he had a reputation to keep up (that of a not evil or murderous guy that people could trust). He turned to say hi and sorry, but he had to go. Instead, Riz beckoned Oisín closer to the ground so they could be on the same level. Some-fucking-how, there was just nobody around to see this.
Riz smiled at him. It was creepy as fuck.
“Hi,” Riz said.
“Hey…” Oisín replied.
Riz got right up in Oisín’s face. “I’m just going to assume that you know what this is about and get straight to the point: I have tasted dragon. I killed your grandmother and I won’t hesitate to kill you too. So help me gods, if I get even the slightest whiff of anything untoward going on with you, I will shoot your fucking brains out. There will be no second chances, there will be no strikes, either you keep your shit together, or,” Riz pulled his arquebus from its holster. “I will make sure that this is the last thing you ever see. I will not hesitate. Are we clear?”
Oisín nodded. “We are. Crystal,” he said. He was watching Riz’s hand. He didn’t know why, but he was truly afraid that Riz might shoot him.
Riz holstered his gun, turned around, and waved Oisín away. “Remember, I have a twitchy trigger finger when it comes to dragons who fuck with my friends,” he said.
Oisín stood up straight. What the fuck is happening? he thought. I did not come to school today to be threatened.
Oisín made it to class after his encounter with Riz, and he was on high alert when he re-entered the hallway. Where the hell was Adaine? Normally, he’d see her in the morning or after class. She’d text him if she wasn’t going to be at school, but that was pretty rare.
With his eyes wide, Oisín made his way across the school to his next class. He was on the lookout for any of the Bad Kids—fuck, what the fuck was going on? Fig Faeth was making her way towards him, in the complete opposite direction from any of her classes.
“Yo, Oisín! What’s up!” she said.
Oisín wished he could hide, but Fig had already seen him.
“Hey…” he said meekly. Fig was a lot shorter than he was, but that didn’t seem to matter today, as she grabbed him by the arm and lead him to the end of the Cleric hall. He would have fought back, but he felt the distinct burning of eyes watching him. He wasn’t going to fuck this up. Fig knocked on a door and out came Kristen.
“Your turn, girl,” Fig said. She happily skipped off, maybe he wouldn’t have to see her today? Oisín looked down at Kristen, she did not seem at all happy to see him. He didn’t know what else he expected, at this point.
“Oisín.” Kristen looked him up and down. She tapped her staff on the ground and muttered something to herself. Oisín felt her magic wash over him.
“Uh, Kristen?” Oisín said. If any of the Bad Kids were going to hurt him, he didn’t think it would be Kristen, but he couldn’t be sure of anything anymore.
“That’s my name. Now, let’s get down to brass tacks. You and Adaine, we’re aware. I’m sure you’ve already spoken to some of my friends today, so let me reiterate the message for you. If I hear Adaine crying and your name is mentioned, I will hunt you to the ends of the fucking universe. I may be a Cleric, but I have the wrath of a goddess who would have been happy to see you stay dead on my side. If I see or hear you disrespect her in any way, I will hold you, blind you, and let my spirit guardians rip you to fucking pieces. There will be nothing left of you to resurrect when I’m finished, am I understood?” Kristen stood several inches below him, but she didn’t need height to spit venom.
“Yes, you’re understood,” Oisín said.
“Good,” Kristen said. “Oh, and I’m sure you’ve heard about Riz’s affinity for dragon meat, right?” she asked
Oisín nodded. “I, uh, I have.” he looked down at the floor instead of at her.
“Then tread fucking lightly.” Kristen struck her staff against the ground and dropped whatever spell she had cast. Probably a Zone of Truth.
“I…I will, I do,” Oisín said.
“Keep it up, then,” Kristen said. She walked past him, deliberately shoulder-checking him.
Oisín stood there for a moment. He was going to be late for class. He turned around slowly, praying that there wouldn’t be Fig or, gods forbid, Gorgug behind him. Oisín had never been so grateful for the presence of absolutely no one. He walked to his class, checking to his sides and behind him all the way. He made it there and apologized to his teacher profusely, but didn’t offer a reason for his lateness.
This was the class he got to see Adaine in, and she was just as confused as the teacher about why he was late. Oisín was warned against telling Adaine what her friends had said to him, so he didn’t say anything.
It was wonderful to be around Adaine, she was so smart, so pretty, so witty and wonderful. Oisín relaxed for those 45 minutes they had together, but immediately lost that relaxation when he stepped into the hallway. He wished Adaine could walk his way to class, but she was on the other side of the school.
“Alright, I’ll see you later, then,” he said. He tried not to sound anxious, he didn’t want to upset her by making her think he was hiding something.
Fig walked past them, she stopped and greeted Adaine.
“Oh, Oisín! We’re going the same way, right?” Fig asked.
“Are you? That’s nice,” Adaine said.
“We should walk together!” Fig suggested.
Oisín looked desperately at Adaine, hoping for rescue. Instead, she sank him even further.
“Yeah, why don’t you? Get to know my friends a little, Oisín. I promise she doesn’t bite,” Adaine said. She was completely oblivious to all this, wasn’t she?
Fig’s eyes flashed red for a moment, widening as a warning. “Yeah, Oisín, I don’t bite,” she said.
Oisín smiled weakly and nodded. “Yeah, why don’t we get to know each other?” he said.
Fig smiled. Good idea, she mouthed.
Adaine looked at her crystal and made a small noise of surprise. “I’ve gotta go,” she said. “I’ll talk to you later?” she looked at Oisín.
“Of course,” he said.
Adaine smiled up at him and stood on the tips of her toes to give him a kiss on the cheek before she turned and left. Fig waited until she was sure Adaine was out of earshot before she spoke. “So, Oisín. Let’s get to know each other,” Fig said.
Oisín sighed shakily. “Yeah, let’s,” he said. Fig began walking, so he followed her.
Still, fucking impossibly, there were no people in the halls.
“I’m gonna keep it straight with you, Oisín. You’ve heard this from most of my party already, but we’re going to hammer it into your head so that you never fuckin’ forget. You know that we’ll kill you, and you know why. Adaine is the best of us, she’s been through a lot of shit. I don’t know how or why she trusts you, but she does. I don’t,” Fig said. “So I want this to be clearer than fucking diamonds in your brain: I will throw you so far into the Bottomless Pit that you forget everything you ever loved. I will burn your body just to the brink of death and keep it there for all eternity. You’ll wish you could die in the afterlife if I ever catch you doing anything I don’t like.”
Fig was very much up in Oisín’s space, but he didn’t have the heart to move or push back. He would not let any of these people think he was going to hurt Adaine.
“I understand,” he said. After doing this four times, it was getting a little less daunting to hear the various ways his death was promised.
“Oh, that’s not all. I don’t care where you end up, I will drag you to the pits of Hell if it’s the last thing I do. All Adaine needs to do is say the word and I and all of my friends will hunt you down. You can’t hide, not even if you die. Riz’s dad will scour the upper planes for you, and Fabian’s dad will sail across the Hells to find your sorry ass. Have you ever heard that old Bill Seacaster made his boat out of a dragon’s hide?”
Oisín shook his head no.
“Didn’t think so. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go to class,” Fig said.
“I won’t do anything to her,” Oisín said. He didn’t know what use it was.
“We’ll see about that. For now, you’d better make sure you watch your back; we’re watching you,” Fig said. She pointed up to the ceiling,
Oisín looked up and startled at the sight of Riz watching him. Minor Illusion, had to be. It had to be. That didn’t stop Oisín from glancing at the ceiling when he walked into class.
Oisín knew he still had one Bad Kid left. Just Gorgug. Oisín knew Gorgug to be kind and soft spoken, but he was vicious when he needed to be. Oisín knew that Gorgug had killed him and he knew that he was terrified of him.
Oisín was zoned out for his last period. He was thinking about ways he could leave the school before he had to see Gorgug, or if he could even escape him at all. Oisín knew that Riz could track him down within hours, and that running from the Bad Kids would not look good.
When the bell sounded, Oisín braced himself. He walked into the hallway and watched the top of the crowd for Gorgug, he was at least as tall as Oisín was. He didn’t see Gorgug, so he thought he might have escaped that particular bit of torture. That was, until he felt a hand on his shoulder from behind him. Oisín froze.
“Hey, Oisín,” Gorgug said. Oisín didn’t need to turn around to know who it was, he knew that voice well enough.
“Let’s go this way, yeah?” Gorgug said. It wasn’t a question or a suggestion, so Oisín followed.
They walked into the Barbarian classroom together. Gorgug offered Oisín a seat in front of the desk in the front of the room. Oisín obliged, mostly out of fear. Gorgug closed the door and sat across from Oisín as though they were in a meeting. Gorgug set his axe on the table and looked at Oisín.
Seriously, who the fuck was letting this happen? This was a classroom, where the fuck was the teacher?
“Oisín,” Gorgug said.
Oisín stared at him silently. He looked down at the axe and back up at Gorgug. Oisín had died twice before, once by Gorgug’s hands, and he still didn’t think he’d ever been so afraid as he was in that moment.
“Oisín, I’m not one for senseless violence. I’m a Barbarian, sure, but I’m also an Artificer. I like to solve problems with my hands, you see. I could threaten to kill you, but I’ve died. You’ve died. So we both know that there are things in this world far worse than death,” Gorgug said. Oisín did not respond, he did not need to tell Gorgug that he was right.
Gorgug leaned forward and lowered his voice. “As I’ve said, I’m an Artificer. I know how to take things apart with my hands, I know how to put them back together, and that doesn’t stop at machines. I’m looking at you right now and planning just how I’d cut your nerves; which ones I’d leave, which ones I’d burn. I can see a step-by-step guide for pulling your scales off, one by one. It isn’t hard, really, to take people apart, not if you’re willing to clean up the mess. Trust me, Oisín, I don’t mind cleaning up after myself. And I don’t mind having to find a nice, quiet place to keep a screaming mess.”
Gorgug placed a hand on the strapping of his axe. “Or, I could keep it simple. There’s a reason I fight with this axe, you know,” he said. “I want you to try and pick this up,” he said. Oisín looked at the axe, then back at Gorgug. Gorgug nodded at him and gestured towards the axe. Oisín reached his hands out and tried to pick up the axe. He couldn’t. He tried a little harder; he couldn’t lift it.
Gorgug nodded knowingly. “What I thought. This, Oisín, is called the Heavy Metal Axe. It’s made of adamantine. The faster it moves, the more mass it gains. It gets heavier as I swing it down, and lighter again on the upswing. They didn’t call it the Heavy Metal Axe for no reason,” Gorgug said.
Oisín cleared his throat. He didn’t know whether to take this as a threat or a lesson. Or both. “What are you trying to say?” he asked.
“I’m saying that I’ve killed things much worse than you with this axe, and it wouldn’t take much, just a couple swings. I’m saying that there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to protect Adaine. I’m saying, Oisín, that when you die, there will be things far worse than me hunting you, and you’d better pray that none of them love Adaine like I do.” Gorgug dropped his axe onto the table, the dull thud of metal on wood filling the room.
“I’m saying that I’ve killed you before and I’d do it again.” Gorgug looked up from the table and at Oisín. “Does that answer your question?” he asked.
“Yes,” Oisín said. He kept his voice level, Gorgug didn’t need to know just how often Oisín saw his face, saw that axe, in his nightmares.
“Then we’re done here. Watch yourself, and take good care of Adaine,” Gorgug said. He stood, picked up his axe, and left the room.
Oisín was alone in a Barbarian classroom and he thought that he might cry. He didn’t. He didn’t know who was watching him, so he didn’t dare. He got his bearings, stood up, and walked out of the classroom, shutting the door behind him.
Oisín only had to go a few steps before he saw them. There were the Bad Kids, there was Adaine. She was talking to Gorgug, she was smiling. Oisín liked Adaine’s smile, it was a radiant thing that filled the room. She laughed at something Gorgug said and Oisín felt a pang of sadness in his chest.
It hurt, sometimes, in a strange and terrible way, to see Adaine talking to and laughing with the man who murdered him. Though, Oisín thought, it couldn’t be much different for Gorgug to watch Adaine with a man who tried very hard to end the world (and Adaine with it). It must be terrifying to watch one of your best friends place so much trust in someone who had done nothing but hurt them, lead them on, and draw them into a trap all year.
When he allowed himself the fantasy, Oisín liked to imagine that he could get along with Adaine’s friends. He liked to think that Adaine loving him would be enough. When he let himself feel hopeful, he thought he might get a chance to talk about his fears with her, to tell her why he left the room when Gorgug entered. It might have been a pipe dream, but Oisín prayed every night that it would come true.
The Bad Kids were protective, Gorgug was especially so, and Oisín would have to live with Adaine’s guard dogs if he wanted something with her. He’d decided long ago that he did; he would take every threat, every cut, every insult, if it meant he got to spend a moment with Adaine.